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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · mine · rash · coach · mate · hide · last · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. last — to go on
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — hasty
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rash — a series
  23. last — final
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com